This week at Rotary
Next Meeting
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Doors Open 11:30AM
12:00 PM START
At
Kitchi Gammi Club
This week’s speaker
Wildlife Program Manager -- Fond du Lac Resource Management Division
Wolf Research and Elk Reintroduction
The Wildlife Program is responsible for the management of the Band’s wildlife resources on the Fond du Lac Reservation and in the ceded territories of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan where Fond du Lac retains treaty hunting fishing and gathering rights. Among the various responsibilities for the program are recommending hunting and trapping seasons to the Band’s advisory committees and the Reservation Business Committee, tracking and reporting hunter harvest data, reviewing and commenting on plans and activities which impact the Band’s wildlife resources and liaison work with other state, federal and tribal agencies.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
Second Harvest Northland Food Packing
2302 Commonwealth Avenue
Duluth, MN 55808
July 8th, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
We have an opportunity to help fight hunger in our area! Our Rotary Club has partnered with Second Harvest Northland to assist them in their mission to create a hunger-free Northland at their new facility in West Duluth. If you would like to sign up contact Allison Hanig-Landrus at
ahanigla@amfam.com.
Highlights from Last Week’s Picnic
By Anthony Nordan
At this year’s picnic we welcomed Rotarians from all Duluth area clubs. The beauty of Enger Park and the fellowship of Rotarians made for a grand event. Thank you to all those who planned and executed this amazing picnic. Below you will see some photos of our fun and fellowship. I personally had some good conversations with two youths that were from where I grew up in Norfolk, VA. I highly encourage all readers to attend the next Rotary event.
There were two semblances of a normal meeting. Near the beginning of the Reflection a random couple rang the large Japanese Peace Bell in Enger Park followed by Past President Al Makynen delivering his reflection. He told us the story of how the Rotary section of Enger Park came to be. The total cost of the budget eventually came to $156,000. The Rotary Clubs of Skyline, Harbortown, Superior Eco, and Club 25 had raised then budgeted $105,000. The City of Duluth stepped and covered the remaining $51,000. The ribbon cutting for the Rotary section of Enger park occurred in September of 2013.
The entire project—including the beautiful area where we enjoyed today's picnic—was created with a larger purpose in mind. As the district grant application explained, it was designed "...to provide for an intentional destination for visitors from around the world to comprehend Rotary's contribution to world peace, understanding and conflict resolution." The application also envisioned this site as the home of "an annual fellowship event of the Duluth Rotary Clubs." Today, as we gather here together, we are helping fulfill that original vision.
Bravo Zulu Rotarians.
Mark Leutgeb, Skyline Rotary
Past President Al Makynen delivers the Reflection and a bit of Rotary history
Another beautiful day at Enger Park
Rotarian fellowship and food are always a great combination
Introducing
Introducing Club 25 – 100 Years Ago This Week
While closing Club 25's office, we discovered archived bound volumes of The Gimlet. Although many years have been lost, the 1926-1927 volume was among approximately 50 annual editions that have been preserved and are now safely stored in climate-controlled archives.
Today we start what we hope to be a weekly feature; a golden nugget from 100 years ago this week in The Gimlet, offering a glimpse into the people, programs, and personality of Club 25 a century ago. Most weeks it will be a short brief. At times, like today's edition, we will explore significant elements of Club 25's history.
We hope you enjoy these windows into our club's remarkable history. –Jerry Thoreson, Editor
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Club 25 – 100 Years Ago This Week
Vol. 10, No. 36, • July 7, 1926
Roll Call: Members 142. Visiting Rotarians 8. Guests 9. Total 159
One hundred years ago this week, Rotary Club of Duluth members were called upon to put Service Above Self into action.
At the July 1 meeting, Rotarian Rod Annis appealed for volunteers with automobiles to transport boys to Camp Miller, while Clarence Hadden invited every member to attend a Boy Scout program at Camp Lawrie over the Fourth of July weekend.
Even 100 years ago, Club 25 was investing in young people. Members weren't simply writing checks. They were donating their time, their automobiles, and their personal involvement to strengthen the next generation.
One last-minute change greeted members that week. Because the Spalding Hotel Ballroom had been reserved for the Minnesota Bar Association convention, Rotary's Thursday luncheon was moved a few blocks east to the Hotel Duluth, where the meeting was held at its usual 12:15 p.m. start time.
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About the Spalding Hotel: Longtime Meeting Place of Club 25
In 1926, just 15 years after Rotary Club of Duluth was chartered, The Gimlet regularly reported attendance of 140 to 175 members and guests, with some meetings drawing more than 250. Throughout its 115-year history, Club 25 has met on Thursdays at lunchtime in downtown Duluth.
For many years, those meetings were held at the elegant Spalding Hotel at 428 W. Superior Street, just one block from Union Depot in the heart of a booming downtown.
Opened in 1889, the 200-room hotel was Duluth's premier gathering place for civic organizations, business leaders, and community events during the city's boom years.
The Spalding was demolished in 1963 to make way for the KDAL studios. Today, the site is home to the Maurices corporate headquarters.
Circa. 1908 – Spalding Hotel, Detroit Publishing Company
The photo shows the building across the street from The Spalding, advertising Fitger's Beer. August Fitger was a charter member of Rotary Club of Duluth
The Spalding building was shared with the Duluth headquarters for the Great Northern Railroad.
In September 1963 The Spalding was demolished.
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